Ninety Years of Living

Recently, my grandma turned ninety. When I commented on her advanced years, she took a deep breath, nodded and replied, "I made it." It was cute.

My grandma is a funny woman with some awesome stories. Growing up, my sister, Amber, and I would often get her to tell us her tales and then tease her about her youth. "I can't tell you kidses anything," she'd say, "you never forget a thing!"

I love the story of her being in the Spring Frolics in her high school. She signed up hoping to be partnered with the cute boy she had a crush on, but, of course, she got stuck being dance partners with the nerdy boy. It's happened to the best of us, Grandma!

She also tells a story of going "parking" with my grandpa when they were dating. It's very rural where I'm from and my grandpa pulled up next to a field and rolled down the window before they started kissing one night. It wasn't long before the stench of the manure they had inadvertently parked next to was too great for them to stay; they had to drive away and find a new spot. I guess you could say they were in search of greener pastures!

Growing up, I loved to watch my grandma hit a baseball. Let me tell you, being the only girl in a family of 7 kids certainly gave her some serious skills with a ball and bat. We used to play games at my grandparents' house and everyone in the outfield had to back up when Grandma was up to bat!

This is Grandma hugging her baby brother, Jake; he's the only brother she has left and the only sibling she had that was younger than her.

Her house was a magical place. The little shelves in the kitchen had new decorations on them constantly for the changing seasons and holidays. The pretzel jar and candy dishes were always full. The freezer always had ice cream, the refrigerator always had chocolate syrup, and the cupboard always had peanuts.

If my grandma knew I was going to be coming over to her house she always made sure to have sweet bologna on hand. It must be the Pennsylvania Dutch girl in me, but I can eat that stuff nonstop. It's so yummy! My mom never bought it, but my grandma made sure I always had enough to get my fix.

The sweetest thing my grandma ever said to me was a couple of years ago. I was teasing her about something and she patted my hand and said, "You're my Dutch." I just can't imagine a better thing for PA Dutch woman to call her granddaughter. I loved it. And I love her.

Okay, so Grandma is on the left here. Behind her is her friend, Tony, who has been her friend for 85 years! They were each other's maids of honor and still meet for lunch each week. Next to Tony is Grace, who has been friends with Grandma for over 60 years. They raised their families together. Myrtle and Pickle, on the right, were also great friends with my grandparents. Even though she has lost a lot of dear ones, I love that my grandma still has these wonderful friends in her life!